Weapons, warfare and industrial idiocy

The Wisdom of Professor Seagull

"It is the duty of the bohemian to make a spectacle of himself. If my informality leads you to believe that I am a rum-dumb or that I belong in Bellevue, then hold fast to that belief; hold fast, and show your ignorance."

Joseph Ferdinand Gould (1889-1957)

Cold War Reenactors

"We rely upon the good will of our fellow man - and the forbearance of reptiles."

"WOW" (Wisdom of Wally)...

Lot's of different pics of this sign.

"I don't make hell for nobody. I'm only the instrument of a laughing providence. Sometimes I don't like it myself, but I couldn't help it if I was born smart."

1st Sgt. Milton Anthony Warden."From here to Eternity"

Paul Valery

"You are in love with intelligence, until it frightens you. For your ideas are terrifying and your hearts are faint. Your acts of pity and cruelty are absurd, committed with no calm, as if they were irresistible. Finally, you fear blood more and more. Blood and time."

The Wisdom of the Ages

"When a young man, I read somewhere the following: God the Almighty said, 'All that is too complex is unnecessary, and it is simple that is needed',"

Sunday, December 14, 2008

A Bardog By Any Other Name...

I'll preface this with another few quaint, homemade shotguns. I have no Idea where this first one came from. It is ingenious. As near as I can see, it mostly consists of what appears to be a piece of steering linkage.The next, the end result of Dr. Seuss' psychotic break while at Home Depot.

Bricolage, French, from the verb bricoler – the core meaning being, "fiddle, tinker" and, by extension, "make creative and resourceful use of whatever materials are to hand (regardless of their original purpose)."That's what I'm talking about.

Back now to "The Land of the Morning" the place you read about more consistently than others if Googling "improvised shotgun".These are probably worldwide. I've read of one confiscated in Ireland. Another poor putz was fined $9000 Aus for trying to smuggle one into Australia from Papua New Guinea. He didn't want to figure out how to make one once he got home I guess. It is pretty challenging.Anyway, since the PI is so amply represented in this my newest obsession - and I've been nostalgic for the place of late I'm going to salt in a few tourist pics.Gotta kill time. I was all set to photograph my own Paltik, Sumpak, Palinitod, Bardog (My current favorite name. I think I read that this word came from the Visayas, the belt of islands in the middle of the archipelago. My sweetie from back in the day was from E. Samar in the same area - and it, Bardog is a kickass name.I digress; I was all ready to photograph my creation, even though it's still rather pangit (Tagalog for guess what?).Anyway, the camera had a dead battery crisis. Killing time...Pictured above, one of my co-workers from the Nav.As I recall this is Peter Lantagne from Connecticut, I think. If you know him, tell him I said, Hey.I should recall her name as well but, alas.They're sitting on the rear step of an example the Philippine's indigenous vehicle, the Jeepney.Originally cobbled together, postwar from surplus US jeeps, they've since morphed into something else again. Click link above for Google pics.In the '70's most of them were still actual wartime jeeps - but they were also on their last legs.It appears that not many of the old ones are left and the design has wandered afield now that they're no longer locked into the old 1/4 ton, short-wheelbase model. I'm not sure how I feel about that.Anyway, in the picture, I think I see a taillight/tail-fin chunk that looks to be vintage Detroit iron - or at least so inspired.Speaking of which, one of those pictures you only take when you're 19 and have never had a decent camera before. Anyway, the command's duty vehicle, a 1 1/4 ton "weapons carrier", Jeep Gladiator. Fuck the Hummvee.Well, the light quit blinking at me.Be aware, it's a "work in progress" as I said earlier, pangit.It does look properly third-world, just a little too funky for, even my standards.I've got to shave some more off the stock, blue or blacken all the metal parts and streamline the receiver/stock interface; ie lose the big gnarly nuts.Anyway, there she sits. Unfired as yet. The weather's been horrible.Prior to such time, we'll certainly address the safety concerns uppermost on every grownup's mind.In closing, still legal. It can lose almost five inches of barrel to get to 18" and 26" overall.

1 comment:

Andy
said...

Didn't realize you were a PI hand Dan. Pretty funky project, better you than me.When I worked in Bolivia backyard .22s and shotguns like that were EVERYWHERE!If you look in to the Mau-Mau emergency you find a bunch more examples...pre AK47 Africa and all you know.